Motor vehicles include numerous plastic molded components, such as ventilation ducts, interior panels, ornamental covers and bezels, etc. A wide variety of methods and structures are known for coupling the various plastic components in the vehicle together.
A snap feature is a known attachment structure for fixing registers, switches, or like components to panels. This feature involves a retaining shape, usually triangular, on the part to be fixed, and a tab with a slot on the panel/bezel. The tab is aligned with the retaining shape during installation and flexes over and around it until the retaining shape falls into the slot on the tab, thereby locking the two parts together. Usually, two or more of these snap features are used on opposing sides to fix the parts together. When this two-part sub-assembly is installed into the rest of the module, clearance must be left between the snap feature and surrounding parts to ensure that the snap does not catch or snag and potentially break or become disengaged during assembly. Typical assembly clearance specified by manufacturing is on the order of 7-9 mm, which is difficult to maintain in some situations. This is a large amount of wasted space between the sub-assembly and surrounding parts. Current snap systems use the general surface of the part to be fixed as a datum. The general surface, however, is difficult to adjust when the fitting between the two parts has to be changed.
It remains desirable to provide improved fastener or attachment mechanisms for coupling the various plastic components in the vehicle together, in particular, for addressing the aforementioned tolerance issues typically encountered in a vehicle assembly or production environment.